The Truth Shouldn't Hurt
by SpacePirateGirl
Summary: Aster is struggling. With his inability to be a hero and himself. Will he ever get over how Jaden was better than him? Will Jaden himself be the one to help? Edo x Judai [set after episode... um... the last one in season 2, episode 104, I think.]


Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh GX or its characters, but I do own this plot... and blah, blah, blah... average day disclaimer.

Warnings: 1-This story contains spoilers for the end of Season 2. Why I even count stuff in Season 2 a spoiler anymore, I don't know. But anyway, just in case. 2-This story is yaoi which means there are pairings of boy x boy. If you don't like, then don't read please.

Pairing: Aster x Jaden [Edo x Judai; slight Sartorius x Aster [Saio x Edo if you look at it that way (it wasn't intended as that though).

Genre: Angst (I think. I'm not exactly good at genres yet, but I'm working on it. Tell me if there's another genre it could be or something to replace angst if you review ;-) )

A/N: Hi, everyone. I felt like writing a quick one shot. Plus is it just me or is there a shortage of this couple on this site. I just gave up on waiting for someone to write it and wrote one myself. :-) hope you all like it because I sure loved writing it. Read and if you want, review. It makes my life so much happier when people review, but if you don't have that kind of want or time, I ... guess I'll understand. lol. btw, this does not mean my other story is dying off. I just had writer's block on the duel part of it, and wanted to take a break. I'll probably get the next chapter up in that story by one and a half weeks. Anyway, enjoy reading this:

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The Truth Shouldn't Hurt

Destiny. How could a simple word like destiny have the potential to destroy life, change the world, ruin everything? Luckily Jaden was there to stop that simple word, to save the fate of the world. Jaden was the duelist who didn't care about anything, not schoolwork, not a reason to duel, nothing. He just wanted fun.

Aster had tried to stay calm and composed when he was with Sartorius, Jaden, and Jaden's friends after the resolve to the disastrous Society of Light. He had seemed to their knowledge to be completely under control. It was only when he started heading back to … somewhere… anywhere to get away from everyone that he … well, lost it.

It happened when he was going down the trail to the Slifer dorms. Jaden and his friends had already gone soon after the Light was defeated. Aster stayed a little longer to listen to Sartorius.

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Sarina jumped out of the helicopter doors as soon as it landed and hugged Sartorius, who was completely thrilled at the sight of his black-haired sister. Then that woman with abnormal purple eyes turned to Aster.

"Aster," she commented briefly. "Thank you for everything."

_But I didn't do anything_, Aster screamed at her inside of his head. It was true. All he had done was made things worse… made everything worse.

Sarina didn't notice his denial and cheerfully turned to Jaden giving him the same treatment as she had given Aster just then. The Pro duelist felt like he wanted to vomit at everyone smiling at him a little even though they were mostly smiling at Jaden… it wasn't right. He didn't care for useless, false smiles.

Soon Jaden and his friends left to get to the Red Dorms. Jaden even invited Aster to come along.

"Okay, but your always welcome to stop by, Aster," Jaden remarked after Aster refused his first invitation. "Remember that," he finished and walked off with Syrus and Hassleberry. Prince Ojin and Linda were now engaged in a conversation with Sarina.

Suddenly Sartorius turned to Aster as if he wanted to say something. The sun was beginning to set at that time as well.

"What is it Sartorius?" Aster asked innocently. He had to hide up the lump in his throat at seeing his friend, who was only alive because of… Jaden… he hated Jaden and appreciated Jaden at the same time.

Sartorius seemed to realize what was going on inside Aster's head. "I'm sorry I was wrong about your destiny, Aster," he apologized. "I'm sorry for … well, you know… during that duel with Jaden what I almost… did to you… I'm sorry for a lot of things, but I'm glad you stuck with me until the end.

Aster shook his head angrily. "Don't feel bad about what you did, and don't try to thank me. I just made everything worse, Sartorius…" He struggled to keep his voice even. "If anything, _I_ should be the one apologizing.

The fortuneteller shook his head. "No, Aster. I know you may think that, but it's not true. You did everything you could."

Aster opened his mouth to say something, but Sartorius cut him off. "You don't understand it now, but you will." Sartorius said these words as if the false beliefs his young friend was feeling now would be better than the solid truth in a way.

Aster nodded stiffly. "I'm gonna head off to the Slifer Dorms and talk to Jaden… I guess. I just forgot to thank him for saving you." He turned around to follow the path of Jaden who was probably a fourth of the way to the Red Dorms by now. The truth really was that he wanted to be alone. He didn't think he could last another second with anyone.

Nodding sympathetically, Sartorius joined his sister to speak with Prince Ojin and Linda. But without his tarot cards anymore, Sartorius realized he would not be able to know anything about Aster's thoughts, or where he would go after he left them. There was no more protection… the most down-to-earth and most terrifying thought in his life.

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As soon as Aster was far away from the public's eyes (mostly everyone was at the school congratulating Chazz on winning the Genex Tournament), he just sat down leaning against one of the common trees at the Academy and rested his head in his hands. His shoulders shook as he struggled against the tears. He didn't know what was wrong with him… He just needed to let all of his emotion out in one way or another.

A few seconds later, he heard voices proceeding down the path he had just sat visibly on, to his great disappointment. In order to remain out of site, he decided to journey further into the forest that stretched onto both sides of the path. He took the left side. Soon the voices became faint because both the students and Aster had traveled very far away from each other, leaving Aster very deep in the home of the thick trees.

Hidden far in the center of the forest and protected from all disturbances except the wind in the in the bushes, Aster flat-out broke down, his emotions out of hand. He sunk to his knees and tried to wipe away the tears, but they kept coming and coming. There was no way to stop them. He heard his breathing accelerate to a strangling manner due to his slight … sobbing. Aster rested his body down on the soft, gentle grass… but the Pro didn't feel worthy of its comfort, its softness.

He had embarrassed himself, spent weeks... no, his whole _life_ claiming to be the "chosen one" when the real chosen one turned out to be Jaden, and, most of all, he had broken his promise to his dearest friend Sartorius.

That's how he summed what he was feeling right now up, but really there was more. Aster's father had died, when he was only six. His only parent had been murdered, but then the young prodigy was adopted by someone who he now knew to be the murderer of his father. Betrayal. His friend Sartorius had been using him for ten years, and even worst than that, missed murdering Aster himself a little too close for comfort… or even for sanity. More betrayal. That's what his whole life was. Betrayal.

It was getting very dark. The sun had set a long while ago, almost even before he started to hide in the forest. Soon his sobs softened into small cries and finally Aster fell into a soft sleep… in which he only let out small whimpers.

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A sharp knock came at Jaden's door. He answered it and was surprised to see Sartorius. He gave him a big, huge, cheerful smile, despite the string of events that almost led to the strange man's domination over all life. Sartorius had been possessed, but, still, being forced to stare at the body and appearance which did all those horrible things wasn't exactly helping him forget.

Sartorius peeked behind Jaden into the room as if he was looking for someone. "Did Aster stop by here?"

Jaden shook his head to answer. "Why do you ask? He didn't want to come here when I invited him."

The older teenager suddenly looked grave. "He said he would come here before he left me, and I haven't been able to find him at the school campus or at the docks."

"You mean he's missing?" Syrus popped up behind Jaden. Hassleberry also appeared.

"That would appear to be the case," Sartorius answered Syrus. "It's dark, so it wouldn't be safe to be wandering around the island. He would've come back to one of us by now."

Jaden nodded in understanding. "Then let's split up and look for him," he said as he turned around back into his room and in the closet. "But it's freezing out there… I'm gonna grab a jacket."

Hassleberry and Syrus agreed and got one for themselves as well. After all, it was a very cold night. The wind made the already chilly air extremely cold. They split into three groups: Hassleberry with Syrus (because Syrus was still afraid of the dark), Jaden, and Sartorius.

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"Well, soldier, wherever Private Phoenix is I hope he's in some place warm because it is really cold out here," remarked Hassleberry, folding his arms for warmth. But if Hassleberry was anywhere near close to a chilly temperature ((imagine the tough muscular guy freezing)), then Syrus was in a state of complete shivers and teeth-chattering.

"Yeah," he whispered with a shaky voice. "It feels like walking in the streets at night on Halloween… with all of those light-fabric costumes."

"You still dress up for Halloween, soldier?" Hassleberry teased.

Syrus threw a playful glare back at the Sarge as they continued looking for Aster.

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Jaden was searching the path that would lead to the Obelisk Blue Dorm because logically if Aster said he was coming to the Red Dorms, then he most likely would be found on the path from the Blue Dorm to the Red. Jaden also had no idea why he concentrated so hard on where Aster could be, he never thought before, he would just act. Why was he thinking so deeply now?

Of course, Jaden believed Aster to be in serious trouble. He had noted Aster's strange behavior the last time he had seen him. Aster was going through emotional trauma, he had to be… being betrayed by all that were close could do that to a guy.

But soon the Blue Dorm… or now the White Dorm… was in sight, so Jaden realized Aster wasn't on the trail. Groaning in disappointment, the Slifer sat down and thought deeply. If I was Aster, he asked himself, where would I go?

Well, logically the next possible place he could be was in the forest, but Jaden didn't know which side of the trail Aster would walk off on… and searching the entire forest on both sides would take all night… It wouldn't be much use to find him in the morning because the only real reason he was downright worried now was because of how freezing it was.

Jaden kept wondering why he was so worried… it wasn't like he knew Aster that well. Deep down he suspected he was even more worried than Sartorius, who had known Aster almost his whole life. Finally he ignored the questions he was asking himself and decided to randomly pick a side of the forest. He picked left.

Then thunder cracked, and it started to poor rain. In only seconds Jaden was soaked, and this only made his worries worse. He pressed on and continued to look for Aster…

A couple of hours later, he found Aster, thank god it was sooner than he thought it would be. Aster was drenched as well, even though it wasn't raining as hard in the forest, thanks to the cover of the trees. The Slifer noticed Aster was crying in his sleep, so he knelt down and put a hand on the Pro's forehead… It was exceedingly hot, and Jaden instantly knew that the high temperature was a fever.

Suddenly Aster's breathing halted from its regular pattern and started to worry Jaden even more. Aster started to toss and turn despite Jaden's attempts to keep him still. Soon the Slifer had no choice but to wake him up to calm him down, so he started to shake him with one hand. "Aster," he whispered gently.

Aster opened his eyes, but remained lost in his own… dream? Nightmare? He tried to push Jaden away from him, but Jaden didn't have to put up much of a fight to stop him. At the moment Aster was too fragile, compliments to the dramatic windy, freezing, and rainy weather. In other words, Aster would need a long rest to recover from being out here in a state of unconsciousness for so long. And from what Jaden saw of Aster having a nightmare, maybe even more so mental recovery…

"Aster, listen," Jaden softly told him. "You were just dreaming. It's okay now."

Aster began to acknowledge his surroundings and slowed his restless breathing. "Jaden…" he whispered somewhat hoarsely. His eyes filled with an emotion that Jaden could only describe as relief. Strange, he thought, before, he was angry with me. And now he's glad to see me?

Jaden also felt a little comforted in the fact that Aster was okay… whatever okay was in this awful weather. He was about to pick the silver-haired teen up when Aster shook his head. "I can walk," was his small, quiet reaction. He attempted to prove it by getting up by himself, but his arms just wouldn't do the trick. Jaden ended up helping the Pro up, much to the protest of Aster, but it seemed as if on the inside he was thankful for the help.

With Aster's arm slumped over Jaden's shoulder, the two boys proceeded on the path to the nice and cozy Red Dorm. After a quick calculation in his head, Jaden had decided that his Dorm Room was the closest shelter from the rain. Aster didn't object to where they were going, probably because he was very focused on just moving his legs. Jaden felt a bit flattered by the "invincible" Pro's trust in him.

After several steps, the brunette began to realize that Aster wasn't just holding onto him for physical support, but also because he was scared and confused… his trust in everyone else must have been broken because after being betrayed and almost killed by several close-to-family friends, things like that could happen. Jaden knew if that happened to him, he would need to cling to someone just as Aster was clinging to him. But ... wasn't Aster getting help from other people unusual? Jaden ignored that question and attempted to act as nicely as possible since the stubborn, petulant teenager was suddenly all upset and… clingy. Yeah, probably not the best time to be demandingly mean.

The brunette asked frequently if Aster just wanted to be carried instead of having to walk. He knew Aster would never in their current relationship agree to it, but he continued to ask just to be as nice as he could when he could.

Meanwhile, the rain started to slow a little to where there were only a few drops every several seconds. Aster suddenly stopped walking, and Jaden looked at him in concern.

Aster sat down slowly and leaned against a tree. "I just want to take a break, Jay. Just for a few minutes."

"I can carry you the rest of the way if you want," Jaden suggested for the ninth time that night.

Aster did his usual act of smiling slightly and shaking his head, which in simpler words meant, "thanks but no thanks." Jaden stepped over and sat down next to Aster. He took off his extra jacket and put it around Aster because the boy was shivering and shaking uncontrollably. Aster refused at first, but Jaden knew he was too exhausted to stop him and wrapped it around him anyway.

Jaden suspected that the others had probably called of the search an hour ago due to the heavy rain. Jaden was glad he kept searching because Aster could've been in a worse condition if they found him any later. For a moment, the two sat in an awkward silence, but Jaden had to break it. "Why were you just laying there in the middle of the forest?" he asked bluntly but gently.

Aster shrugged off the question and averted Jaden's gaze.

But Jaden wasn't one to give up. "Was it because you were mad at yourself for not being able to save Sartorius? And becoming a hostage while you were at it?"

Aster glared at Jaden angrily. "It's none of you business, Jaden," he commented rudely.

But Jaden could tell that on the inside Aster needed to tell somebody. He put an arm behind Aster's neck and around his shoulders, comforting him in a way. "I'm very sorry it turned out that way, Aster—"

"I don't want to talk about it—" He uselessly tried to pull away from Jaden, but to no avail.

"—but you've gotta move on. Just because you aren't specifically Sartorius's hero, doesn't mean you're not _a_ hero… There are your fan girls that look up to you, and you even saved your father. You're a great hero… it's just…"

"I'm not as good as you are, Jaden," Aster said. "Just say it. It's true."

Jaden nearly cursed at himself for how shaky Aster's quiet voice was, while at the same time Aster was killing himself with insults on how he wasn't the best. The prodigy knew now why Sartorius had felt as if the truth would be worse than why he was angry with himself before… he thought before that he had just embarrassed himself and almost ruined the situation, but the real truth was that he would never be better than Jaden… never. And that made things more painful than knowing Jaden saved Sartorius when he could not. The truth hurt.

But Jaden smiled cheerfully. "You know, you shouldn't pound yourself with the truth," he said innocently. He seemed to know what Aster had just realized. "It may hurt at first, but the hurt could be a good thing."

"Why is that?" Aster snapped.

"Well… the truth can only make you stronger when you're hurt by it. I promise I've been through similar things. And now, I'm a better duelist."

"But it still hurts," Aster retorted.

"If you think about it, sometimes the truth isn't always the truth," Jaden continued with his usual make-no-sense type of speaking pattern. "You see, I'm older than you, I've had more time to get good at dueling, so it'd naturally be easier for me to defeat Sartorius… give yourself a tiny break at least." Aster looked at Jaden unbelievably. Somehow what the brunette said was making sense… somehow… just talking about what the truth was in the first place helped a little. Plus it was Jaden… how could anyone not feel better by being around cheerful, comforting Jaden?

The rain stopped completely, but it was still very cold. Aster didn't know why he had a sudden impulse to lean into Jaden for comfort. It was probably just an instinct to keep warm. Jaden must have sensed this feeling because the arm already resting on Aster's shoulder's pulled him in closer to his body. Aster didn't protest this time, but allowed himself to be swept into Jaden's arms. It was definitely warmer.

"Also," Jaden said as he held Aster, "you may not realize it, but you dueling Sartorius helped me see some of his weaknesses. I don't think I could've done it without you… just like in our duel against Sarina."

"But still…" Aster whispered, tears coming to his eyes again. "I never did as much as you did… you always took the bigger half… I hardly did anything," he finished, nearly repeating what he had said earlier when Sartorius had thanked him.

Jaden's arms tightened around Aster to comfort him. "You know, you didn't do half-bad when you dueled against Sartorius… actually you were really close to winning. It was a sweet duel… just one more turn, and I'm sure you would've won… just a little more luck… People say I'm the lucky person out of the bunch, so don't feel too bad." Jaden laughed softly. "I could probably even beat you in Poker 'cause I'm so lucky."

Aster smiled fully for the first time that night. It was something about Jaden that he liked… something… he realized he had never truly felt comfortable around anyone else besides Jaden. He now knew that he wanted, no, _needed_ Jaden in order to stay happy… to live in general. He closed his eyes, his tears had disappeared and he was smiling contentedly.

On the other hand, Jaden was realizing the same thing. He loved Aster… he needed him. Aster was everything now… and he looked down to see Aster's smile as he was leaning in, resting on Jaden's chest. He needed to see that smile for ever, but first they needed to get warm.

"We should get moving now… I think you have a fever," Jaden said after a few long minutes.

Aster nodded, but didn't open his eyes, neither did he make an attempt to move.

"Would you like me to carry you, Aster?" he asked the Pro for the final tenth time.

Aster nodded, his eyes still shut. Jaden could tell he was exhausted and tired, and Jaden had a feeling the teenager's fever was getting worse. Thank god, Aster allowed the brunette to gently lift him into his arms, and start to walk quickly back to the Red Dorms.

But only minutes later, Jaden's arms started to feel like mush carrying Aster all that way. However, he didn't complain and finally reached the door to his room. He was sure he could hear Syrus, Hassleberry, and Sartorius speaking worriedly to each other.

"Hey, Jay…?" Aster started quietly.

"Yeah?"

No answer.

"What is it, Aster?" Jaden urged gently. When he didn't answer a second time, Jaden let it go and without a free hand knocked on the door with his forehead.

There was a silence heard in the room, then footsteps in a trail toward the door.

"Thanks for everything, Jay," Aster whispered, finally answering, right before the door opened and Sartorius, Syrus, and Hassleberry all stood there stunned, yet glad Aster could finally be safe.

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A/N: So was that good for a first one shot? Tell me what you think. I hope you had fun reading it. Now flamers are not welcome (uh oh... here they all come--that joke is getting kinda old) Btw, I appreciate flamers as a wake-up call. :-) So by all means, flame away :-P ... I'm very crazy if you haven't noticed yet.


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